Stronger Communities: First response to government

21Jun10

On Friday 4 June we held the first Stronger Communities discussion group at Community Links in east London, which brought together around 50 people from the worlds of community, business, and the public sector to share practical ideas around Big Society and to ask to answer the question:  What can government really do to support social change and to share good practice?

As a result of this meeting, subsequent online discussions with the Chain Reaction community we have co-designed a response to government outlining what we believe the core values that should underpin the work of The Big Society should be.

The first draft of this document has been fed back to government, but we want to continue to shape this document together, with the view to post a new, collaborative version on Tuesday 6 July.

The response is reproduced below, and aside from commenting on this blog, there are several ways in which you can contribute to, amend, or add your thoughts to this document:

• Wiki:  You can comment or directly amend this document on the wiki
• Email:  Please email your comments to laura.hyde@community-links.org
• Network Discussion Group: You can share your thoughts with others on the network.

Stronger Communities, Bigger Society
Response to government [working document]

Chain Reaction is a community of people passionate about social change.  Today we face a combination of old trends and new realities. This makes it a good time to think about and articulate an authentic and coherent vision of what we do, how we do it and why we do it. We should be clear about what we expect of ourselves, of our partners and of government.

At the centre of this effort are the needs and the aspirations of the people we aim to support. All our work should be tested against how well we serve their interests.

We put forward for discussion this statement about our vision and values. We have thought of it not as a map but as a guide, a compass perhaps, helping us to respond to the defining and changing characteristics of our environment:

• The ever-shifting boundaries between the three sectors – public, private and third – that asks questions about who does what, for what purpose and, crucially, who is responsible?
• The impending cuts in public spending that will force decisions about priorities and methods but also create opportunities for new ways of working.
• The new government’s rhetoric of freedom, transferring power to local areas and a lessening of top-down approaches that have characterised the recent past.
• The ongoing levels of need and inequality, suffered by so many, and that shames us all.

Applied to this reality is the notion of the Big Society that has sought to develop the debate about the roles of citizens and the state. We want to engage with this idea. We want to shape it, to make it tangible and, above all, to develop a set of principles by which we might challenge, inform, improve, underpin or appraise it.

We might begin this by defining the sort of society we are striving for.

We suggest that this is a society where everyone has:

• The essentials: an adequate standard of living, access to a sustainable livelihood, access to utilities, health and education and freedom from violence.
• A purpose: confidence that we each have a role in relation to others
• A sense of belonging: knowledge that as we associate with people, others care about us and we about them.
• Control: freedom to determine our own destiny
• Fairness and equality: belief that we are neither more nor less well treated than others.

And then, we might offer the following as the values that will inspire us as we pursue this vision.

• We all have power: there is a desire that this power should be used as a force for good in every part of our lives at home, at work and at play. The wellbeing of us all, our communities and our planet, is dependent on the aggregation of these individual, everyday behaviours.
• We are equal: there is a belief that the individual is the author of their own life and can and should rise as far as their talents can take them. There is also recognition that, because of the constraints people face such as poverty, prejudice, lack of opportunity, we all need support at some time in our lives.  With the right support and access to resources, everyone has the potential to achieve great things.
• We are all connected: The actions of each of us impact on the lives of others. Acknowledging this makes us tolerant and respectful of each other and recognise that we are more if we combine and collaborate than if we pursue me-first individualism. There is a sense of solidarity between each other across the world and between us and future generations.
• We all need to work together: Our democratic representatives will not, on their own, deliver the change we desire. Our public agencies such as schools or hospitals will not, on their own, create the world we want. Industry, business or the market will not, on their own provide the means or the answers. Community organisations, social enterprises, trade unions or faith groups will not, on their own, save the world. But all of these can be part of the response and unless we work together, we will not succeed.
• We must be guided by those who have least: People who experience a problem understand it best. Given the opportunity, the right space, an audience that is willing to listen and access to the right resources and networks, the solutions developed by those who currently have least can change the world.
• We are optimistic: We believe that we can succeed in this effort to ensure that everyone shares in the society we are striving for.

And we must be clear what this all means for the expectations we have for ourselves and for government.  We must be able to test ourselves against these values and say, with conviction, they determine what we do and they shape how we do it.

In this effort we might expect the government to ensure:

• Clear standards reflecting the achievement of the basic elements of a good life for all, the essentials
• Opportunities and assistance to participate in designing and delivering services ensuring people have that sense of purpose
• Personalised provision within a supportive community contributing to that sense of belonging
• The freedom, opportunity, resources and support to participate in governance and management enhancing that sense of control
• Fairness and freedom to access ensuring equality

We put forward this vision, these values and these expectations for ourselves and for government as a set of principles that might guide the judgements that we make and the work that we do.

We invite you to respond and help us shape the future.

To respond to this document please:

• Email laura.hyde@community-links.org
• Contribute to the discussion wiki http://chainreactionstrongercommunities.pbworks.com/
• Discuss this document on the Chain Reaction network http://chain-reaction.ning.com/group/sc10London/forum/topics/stronger-communities-bigger

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